Electrical cooking apparatus



Nov.. 29, 1.938. l- W MYERS 2,138,706

ELECTRICAL COOKING APPARATUS Filed June 18, 195e sheets-sneu 1 Nov. 29, 1938. J. Kw. MYERS I ELECTRICAL COOKING APPARATUS Filed June 18, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 NOV. v29, 1.938. W, MYERS 2,138,706

ELECTRICAL COOKING APPARATUS Filed June 18, 19156Y 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ver?- NOV. 29, 1938. 1 W. MYERS 2,138,706

ELECTRICAL COOKlNG APPARATUS Filed Jun 18, 195e 4 sheets-sheet 4 MLM PatentedNov. 29, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL COOKING APPARATUS Joseph W. Myers, Philadelphia, Pa., assigner to Proctor & Schwartz, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania ,/'iiplioation June 1s, 1936, serial No. 857,994 'z Claims. (ol. 21e-35) This invention relates to electrical cooking ap- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a preferred form of the pliances and-more particularly, to a novel elecappliance; trical cooking appliance embodying features Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2--2 which render the appliance extremely flexible .in of Fig. l showing cooking receptacles arranged its capabilities of operation and make it readily within the appliance;

possible to Obtain results and to perform a variety Fig. 2A is a fragmentary sectional view illusof cooking operations which have heretofore been trating a certain feature of the appliance; obtainable only by the use of several appliances Fig. 3 is a face view of the inner side of the or by the use of a cooking range of much greater cover or lid of the appliance; Capacity than the present device. More speci- Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the cover or lid 10 cally, the invention provides an appliance which taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3; is adapted to operate from an electrical source of Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showrelatively low power output, such. as a convening a portion of the removable heating unit structional household convenience outlet having a ture carried by the cover;

maximum electrical power output of 165() watts, Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective View illus- 15 and yet is capable of performing a wide variety trating the novel hinge structure of the appliof cooking operations, in fact, practically any of ance;

the cooking operations normally employed. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view illustrating The principal object of the invention, therefurther the hinge structure and the manner of fore, is to provide a novel electrical cooking aputilization thereof; 20 pliance which is adapted to operate from an elec- Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional trical source of relatively low power output and View showing a portion lof the cover so as to illuswhich is extremely flexible in operation and trate a certain feature;

capable of performing a wide variety of func- Fig. 9 is a face view of the control panel or tions. wall of the device; l 25 Another object of the invention is to provide Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional an electrical cooking appliance of this character view showing the arrangement of the thermocomprising a relatively deep vessel having heatstatic control and the indicating device of the 4ing units designed and arranged in predeterappliance;

mined relation to one another and havingl heat- Fig- 11 is a schematic illustration ei the elee- 3o responsive means vfor controlling the heating tlil Circuit 0f the device; units and indicating means for indicating the Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the device illuscondition of the vessel, a relatively shallow cover trating its adaptability for broiling and like opor lid for the vessel having an auxiliary electrierations; and

cal heating unit oi predetermined capacity Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the adjustable 35 mounted thereon in cooperation with the vessel, rack o1' Support emlJOyedand means whereby the first-mentioned heating I Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, units and the last-mentioned heating unit may be' the appliance comprises e relatively deep Vessel energized separately and selectively only. The lV which is preferably oval in shape, although it 40 invention thus provides an appliance having a will be understood that the vessel may take any 40 cooking chamber which is heatable to a desired desired form. The vessel may comprise nested temperature that is automatically maintained, receptacles la, Ib and lc to provide a hollow side and an auxiliary heating unit arranged .coopwall 2 and bottom 3 within which suitable heateratively with the said chamber, the heating insulating material 4 of any conventional form means of said chamber and said auxiliary unit may be disposed, and to provide a dead air space 45 being selectively operable, whereby the appliance 5 between receptacles Ib and lc, which serves to may be variously operated as hereinafter dedistribute the heat from the Vheating units uniscribed to perform various cooking operations in formly about the interior space of the vessel. An a highly eicientmanner. elect 'cal heating unit 6 is disposed within the A further object of the invention is to provide A vside-wall adjacent receptacle lb and surrounds 50 other specific novel features in an appliance of the interior space of the vessel,.while a second this character which enhance and facilitate the electrical heating unit 1 is disposed within the loperation of the appliance as set forth more fullyi, bottom of the vessel adjacent receptacle lb and hereinafter and defined in the appended claims. extends substantially throughout the area ofthe In the accompanying drawings: bottom. These heating unts may take any suit- 55 of the general type employed in appliances of this general nature. 'I'he heating units are designed, however, so that their total electrical power consumption is less than the maximum power output of the conventional household convenience outlet. As stated above, such outlets generally having a maximum power output of 1650 watts, and the units 6 and 'I are preferably designed so as to have a total power consumption of 1320 watts. IThe heating units are also designed in predetermined relation to one another such that the side heating unit 6 supplies a major part of the total heat, while the bottom heating unit 1 supplies only a relatively minor part of the heat. Preferably, tlie heating units are so designed that the side unit B supplies about of the total heat, while the bottom unit l supplies only about 15% of the heat. The reason for this specific design bf the heating units will be discussed in detail later.

As shown more clearly in Fig. 2A, the upper peripheral edge of receptacle Ib is bent over the upper peripheral edge ofreceptacle t a, and heat-insulating strip Id is interposed between the said edges. This strip, which may be formed of any suitable material, serves to prevent transfer of heat by conduction from the receptacles ib and Ic to the receptacle Ia, thus increasing the eiciency of the device and enhancing its operation. The peripheral portion of vessel |c is sloped downward toward the interior of the vessel to carry material deposited thereon by condensation back to the interior of the vessel.

The appliance also comprises a relatively shallow lid or cover 8 which is adapted to be removed entirely from the vessel I or may be hingedly operated in respect to the vessel by virtue of the lnovel hinge structure 9 described more fully hereinafter. The cover defines a space above the vessel I. The inner surface of the cover 8 is heat-reecting and carries a removable heating unitstructure |0 within the said space in cooperative relation with said surface and said vessel. The heat-reflecting surface serves to direct and concentrate the heat from unit III onto articles being cooked thereby, as described hereinafter. As shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 4, the structure I0 preferably comprises an ovate support II carrying insulating blocks I2 which serve to support an electrical heating unit I3. As illustrated, the support preferably takes the form of a channel member having the insulating blocks I2 seated therein. At one end, the support carries a recessed lug I4 and at its other end, the support carries a bracket I5 (see Fig. 5) having an aperture I6 therein. The recessed lug Il and the aperture I6 are adapted to receive projecting knobs I1 and I8, respectively, carried upon the inner side of the cover 8. The knob |'l is provided with a peripheral recess so that the recessed lug I4 may be brought into cooperative relation therewith by moving the support I I longitudinally, and the knob I8 is likewise provided with a peripheral recess adapted to receive the hook-like latch I9 (see Fig. 5) which is pivotally carried upon bracket I5. vided with a nger piece 20 to facilitate operation thereof. It will be seen that the structure Il may be readily mounted upon and removed from the inner side of the cover 8.

The bracket I5 also carries terminal posts or The latch I! is pro- Y able form and may, for example, comprise units lated bushings 22 permanently carried within openings 23 in the cover, as shown clearly in Fig. 8. In addition to removably receiving the terminal prongs 2|, these openings serve an additional function which will be discussed hereinafter.

The rheating units Ii and 1 described above are preferably connected in series relation with one another and are electrically connected to terminal prongs 24 extending from the side wall of vessel I near the bottom thereof, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. In accordance with the invention, the heating units B and 1 and the heating unit I3 are adapted for separate and selective operation only. The reason for this Will be discussed in detail later. To this end, the prongs 2| and the prongs 24 are of a special character so that they will receive only a special attachment plug specifically adapted for use with them. Preferably, the two sets of prongs have a certain spacing such that the conventional cord and plug cannot be employed with them but they require a special cord and plug to be supplied with the appliance. This special plug will be connected to the end of a conductor cord, as commonly employed in the use of household appliances, and the other end of the cord will carry a conventional plug adaptedl gized separately and selectively. The heating unit I3, like the units 6 and l, is designed to have a maximum power consumption less than Athe maximum power output of the conventional household convenience outlet. Preferably, the unit |3 has a maximum electrical power consumption of about 1500 watts. Thus, the units 6 and 'I, or the unit I3, may be electrically connected to a low capacity electrical source, such as the usual convenience outlet, without exceeding the power output of such source.

The hinge structure 9 and the manner of operation thereof are clearly illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. 'Ihis structure comprises a U-shaped member 25 carried by the cover 8 and adapted to seat in recesses 25 of the supports 21 forming a part of bracket 28 which is carried by the side wall of the vessel I. The recesses 25 are formed as illustrated so that the lid 8, when in place upon the vessel I, may be lifted vertically upward oiI of the 'vessel I, as shown in broken-line representation in Fig. 7 at 29, and during such removal, the U-shaped member 25 is freely removable from the recesses 25; or the cover 8 may be hingedly operated in respect to the vessel I, as illustrated in broken-line representation in Fig. 7 at 30, in which case, the recesses 25 retain the member 25 so that the hinge structure operates as an ordinary hinge. This structure greatly facilitates the use and operation of the appliance.

The vessel I is adapted to receive either the cooking receptacles 3|, 32 and 33, as illustrated in rig. 2, or the rack 34 (see Figs. 12 and 13), as will be discussed hereinafter. The receptacles 3|, 32 and 33 may be constructed and arranged in accordance with the teaching of United States Patent 2,078,165, granted to Walter M. Schwartz on April 20, 1937, so that these receptacles may be handled individually or together as a unit. It will be understood, however, that ordinary cooking receptacles may be employed. The rack 34 comprises an open or mesh-like body 35 having integral feet 33 extending from one side thereof and having members 31 extending from 75 the other side which are adapted for adjustable attachment to supports 38. To this end, the members 31 are formed to provide retainer portionsl 39 which are adapted to slidably retain the side members 40 of the supports 38, and the upper ends of the side members 40 are bent as illustrated at 4l for cooperative engagement with the portions 42, 43, and 44. In Fig. 13, the body or rack 35 is supported in its highest position, the portions 4I of supports 38 engaging the lowermost latching portions 42 of members 31. It will be seen, however, that by springing the sides 40 inward, the portions 4I may be made to seat in the latching portions y43 or the latching portions 44, at Which time, the retainer portions 39 of members 31 will slide downwardly upon the sides 40 of supports 38. While three position adjustments of the rack 35 upon the supports 38 are embodied in the illustrated form of the device, it will be apparent that further position adjustments may be readily provided by proper construction of the cooperating members.

The vessel I is provided with means for ac-f curately controlling the heating units 6 and 1 so as to automatically obtain and maintain a predetermined tenperature within the vessel, and there is further provided means for indicating the condition of the heating units and the temperature inside vessel I. Moreover, there is provided means whereby the predetermined temperature of vessel I may be adjusted to perform various cooking operations and whereby the heating units 5 and 1 may be manually deenergized to interrupt the cooking operation. There is mounted within the side wall of vessel I at the front and near the bottom thereof, a thermostatically-controlled switching device 48. as shown in Fig. l0, and this device is controllable by means of the rotatable shaft 49. As illustrated in Fig. l1, the thermostatic switch 48 is connected in series relation with the heating units 5 and 1 and is adapted'to control the energizing circuit for the said units. The device 48 comprises essentially a thermostatic element 50 which may take the form of a bimetallic strip and which carries a contact 5I, and a flexible contact arm 52 mounted cooperatively with the element 50 upon a common insulating support 53 and carrying a contact 54 cooperatively associated with contact 5I. The device further comprises a cam 55 carried upon the control shaft 49 and cooperatively arranged with arm 52 so as to control the position of that arm. In operation, the thermostatic strip 50 ilexes outwardly in response to heat and causes the contacts 5I and 54 to open at a predetermined temperature. This temperature may be varied by adjusting the position of arm 52 causing this arm to exert at contact 54 more or less pressure upon contact 5I to vary the flexing movement of strip 50 necessary to open the contacts. When the cam 55 is moved to its lowermost position, however, the contacts 5I and 54 are opened by virtue of the resilience of arm 52 which causs that arm to move away from strip 59. The control shaft 49 of the device carries at its outer end a knob (see Fig. 9)*which serves cooperatively with indicia 51 on arrindicating panel of vessel I, thus enabling adjustment of the device 48 for operation at any one of the various temperatures indicatedor to deenergize the heating units as also indicated.

As illustrated in Fig. 10, there is also provided on vessel I, an indicatorin the form of a pilot light 58, which is preferably mounted below the control shaft 49 so as tobe clearly visible on the control panel as shown in Fig. 9. As illustrated in Fig. 11, the indicating lamp 58 is shunted by a resistance 59 and the two are connected in series relation with the heating units 6 and 1 and with the .thermostatic switch 48, so that the indicating light is energized when the circuit of the heating units isclosed and is deenergized when the said circuit is opened. Thus, it will be seen that when the appliance is turned on, the light indicates the fact that the vessel I is being heated and when the indicating light is extinguished or goes out, the user is apprised of the fact that the temperature for which the thermostatic switch has been set has been reached. Until such time as the thermostatic device is readjusted or the appliance is turned oi, the thermostatic switch will maintain the vessel Ic at the desiredtemperature. There is preferably associated with ,lamp 58, a glow cone 60 of the type disclosed and claimed in Patent No. 2,006,509, granted July 2, 1935.

As previously mentioned, the appliance is adapted by virtue of its structural features above described for wide flexibility of operation and for the performance of various -cooking operations. It is possible by the use of the receptacles 3I, 32 and 33 to cook eiciently a number of articles at one time, employing the heating units 6,'1 and I3 in cooperative manner, as explained more fully later. For example, meat may be roasted in the inner receptacle, while vegetables are being cooked at the same'time in the .outer receptacles, as indicated in Fig. 2. The specic arrangement and design of the heating units 8 and 1 and the heat distribution obtained, enables the thorougli cooking of articles such as meats without burning the meat juices which naturally fall to the bottom of the vessel. Alternatively, by employing the adjustable rack 34, as illustrated in Fig. 12, articles such as steaks and chops, or dishes such as au gratin potatoes, may be properly cooked employing the heating units in cooperative manner, as explained below, the rack being adjusted to the proper height for the particular broiling or browning operation to be performed. The rack may also be inverted so that it stands on feet 36 and when thus positioned within the vessel I, the rack serves as a trivet for a large roast or it may serve as a support for pie or cake pans, thus enabling the baking of pies, cakes and the like. During such use of the rack, the supports 38 may be used as handles, thus enabling easy handling of the rack. In any case, the heating units 8, 1 and I3 are usable cooperatively to definite advantage during various cooking operations, as will now be explained.

One very serious objection to electric roasters of the type adapted to employ several cooking receptacles to enable the cooking of vegetables at the same time that meat is being cooked, has been that the water vapors from the vegetables and the heat lost thereby tend to keep the meatv from browning as preferred by most people. By means of the present appliance, however, the several articles may be cooked in the vessel I by means of heating units 6 and 1 and when the Vegetables are cooked, the vegetable containers may be removed andthe plug may be removed from the prongs 24 and connected to the prongs 2|, thereby deenergizing the heating units 6 and 1 and energizing the unit I3. By thus using the unit I3 to complete the. cooking of the meat, the desired browning of the meat may be quickly obtained without evaporation of the juices which would occur if the meat were browned by the heating units 6 and 7. 'This same procedure may be employed in cooking au gratin dishes and the like, so that the articles are cooked principally by the heating units 6 and 'I and the final browning operation is obtained by the use of the unit I3. If desired, the procedure may be reversed, using the unit I3 first to broil or sear the article to be cooked and then using the units 6 and I to com- I plete the cooking operation.

The appliance has a further definite advantageous function in that the thermtatically controlled heating units 6 and 'I may be employed to preheat the vessel I prior to the broiling of articles by means of the unit I3. It is a common objectionable feature of broilers of comparatively lowenergy density compared with the area covered, which is a necessary characteristic of broiler appliances operated from the usual convenience outlet, that satisfactory cooking of some meats and other articles cannot'be obtained. The present invention overcomes this objection by enabling the preheating of the vessel I prior to the broiling of such articles. Thus, the units 6 and l may be energized to heat the vessel I to a desired predetermined temperature, and when the pilot'light indicates that the desired preheating of vessel I Ahas been completed, the article to be cooked may be placed in the vessel upon the rack 34 and the plug may be transferred to the unit i3 to perform the broiling operation.

It will be seen, therefore, that the invention provides a'cooking chamber which is heatable to a desired temperature that is automatically maintained, and an auxiliary heating unit arranged cooperatively with said chamber, so that the auxiliary heating unit may be used to initiate or complete cooking operations performed by the heating means of said chamber, or the auxiliary unit may be used to perform other cooking opera.- tions following the preheating of said chamber by the automatically controlled heating means thereof.

From the above, it will be seen that the heating units 6, I and I3 are cooperatively associated so that they may be used in various manners in the cooking operations to obtain highly satisfactory results. Moreover, it will be apparent that the appliance is adapted to perform practically any cooking operation in a highly satisfactory manner.

The removability of the unit I0 enables the thorough cleaning of that unit and the inner surface of the reflecting cover 8 and, furthermore, the openings 23 may serve the purpose of vents when it is desired to use the heating units 6 and 'I only. In other words, the unit I0 may be removed and foods may be cooked in the vessel Ic and, during such cooking operations, the openings 23 will serve as vent openings to permit the escape of steam or vapors when desired. It will be noted also that the unit I0 is readily removable Without the use of tools or separate fastening devices.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a specific preferred embodiment, it will be understood that various changes and modications may be made without departing from the principles of the invention. Y

I claim: Y

1. In an electrical cooking appliance, a vessel comprising a plurality of nested receptacles, two of said receptacles having their upper peripheral edges thermally isolated one from another by a heat-insulating strip interposed between said edges, and-a third one of said receptacles being disposed within the other two and spaced therefrom to provide heat-circulating space about the interior of the vessel, heat-insulating means between said two receptacles, electrical heating units of predetermined relative capacity disposed between said two receptacles adjacent the innermost one at the side and bottom of the vessel, the relative capacities of said units being such that a major portion of the total heat therefrom emanates from the side wall of the vessel, an electrical circuit including said units, heat-responsive means on said vessel for controlling said circuit and operative to maintain the interior of the vessel substantially at a predetermined temperature, and indicating means on said vessel operative to apprise the user of the condition of said circuit and whether said predetermined temperature has been reached.

2. A combined roaster and broiler appliance for household use, comprising a relatively deep vessel, an electrical roaster unit including electrical heating elements disposed within the side walls and bottom of said vessel, said unit being constructed and arranged to have a normal energy consumption approaching a given permissible energy consumption for the entire appliance, an electrical circuit including said unit, electrical terminal connectors for said circuit on vsaid vessel, heatresponsive means on said vessel for controlling said circuit and operative to maintain the interior of the vessel substantially at a predetermined temperature, indicating means on said vessel operative to apprise the user of the condition of said circuit and Whether said predetermined temperature has been reached, a hinged lid or cover for said vessel, an electrical broiler unit mounted on the inner side of said cover, said broiler unit being constructed and arranged to have a normal energy consumption approaching said permissible consumption for the entire appliance,y the total energy consumption of both of the said units being greatly in excess of said permissible consumption, and electrical terminal connectors for said broiler unit on said cover, the terminal connectors on said vessel and the terminal connectors on said cover being constructed and arranged to be incapable of receiving the usual household appliance connectors but capable of receiving selectively a single electrical connector supplied with the said appliance, whereby the said units may be energized separately and selectively only.

3. A combined roaster and broiler appliance r for household use, comprising a relatively deep vessel, an electrical roaster unit including electrical heating elements disposed within the side walls and bottom of said vessel, said unit being constructed and arranged to have a normal energy consumption approaching a given permissible energy consumption for the entire appliance, an electrical circuit including said unit, electrical terminal prongs for said circuit on said vessel, heat-responsive means on said vessel for controlling said circuitand operative to maintain the interior of the vessel substantially at a predetermined temperature, indicating means on said vessel operative to apprise the user of the condition of said circuit and whether said predetermined temperature has been reached, a hinged concave-convex lid or cover for said vess el having a heat-reflecting inner concave surface, an electrical broiler unit mounted on the inner side of said cover adjacent said reflecting surface so that the said surface reflects the heat from said broiler unit into said vessel, said broiler unit being constructed and arranged to have a normal energy consumption approaching said permissible consumption for the entire appliance,

the total energy consumption of both of the said units being greatly in excess of said permissible consumption, and electrical terminal prongs for said broiler unit on said cover, the terminal prongs on said vessel and the terminal prongs on said cover having a greater spacing than those of the usual household appliance connectors so as to be capable of receiving only and selectively an electrical connector suppliedy with the said appliance. l

4. A combined roaster and broiler appliance for household use, comprising a relatively deep vessel, an electrical roaster unit including electrical heating elements disposed within the side walls and bottom of said vessel, said unit being constructed and arranged to have a normal energy consumption approaching a given permissible energy consumption for the entire appliance, an electrical circuit including said unit, electrical terminal prongs for said circuit on said vessel, heat-responsive means on said vessel for controlling said circuit and operative to maintain the interior of the vessel substantially at a predetermined temperature, indicating means on said vessel operative to apprise the user of the condition of said circuit and whether said predetermined temperature has been reached, a hinged lid or cover for said vessel, an electrical broiler unit removably mounted on the inner side of said cover and having electrical terminal prongs extending removably through openings in the cover to permit removal of the entire broiler unit from the cover, said broiler unit being constructed and arranged to have a normal energy consumption approaching said permissible consumption for the entire appliance, the total energy consumption of both of the said units being greatly in excess of Said permissible consumption, the terminal prongs on said vessel and the terminal prongs on said cover having a greaterspacing than those of the usual household appliance connectors so as to be capable of receiving only and selectively an electrical connector supplied with the said appliance.

5. A combined roaster and broiler appliance for household use, comprising a relatively deep vessel, an electrical roaster unit including electrical heating elements disposed within the side walls and bottom of said vessel, said unit being constructed and arranged to have a normal energy consumption approaching a given permissible energy consumption for the entire appliance, an electrical circuit including said unit, electrical terminal prongs for said circuit on said vessel, heat-responsive means on said vessel for controlling said circuit and operative to maintain the interior of the vessel substantially at a predetermined temperature, indicating means on said vessel operative to apprise the user of the condition of said circuit and Whether said predetermined temperature has been reached, a hinged lid or cover for said vessel, an exposed electrical broiler unit of closed loop form removably mounted on the inner side of said cover and having electrical terminal 'prongs extending removably through openings in the cover to permit removal of the entire broiler unit from the cover,said broiler unit being constructed and arranged to have a normal energy consumption approaching said permissible consumption for the entire appliance, the total energy consumption of both of the said units being greatly in excess of said permissible consumption, the terminal prongs on said vessel and the terminal prongs on said cover having a greater spacing than those of the usual household appliance connectors so as to be capable of receiving only and selectively an electrical connector supplied with the said appliance.

6. A combined roaster and broiler appliance for household use, comprising a relatively deep vessel, an electrical roaster unit including electrical heating elements disposed within the side walls and bottom of said vessel, said unit being constructed and arranged to have a normal energy consumption approaching a given permissible energy consumption for the entire appliance, an electrical circuit including said unit, electrical terminal prongs for said circuit on saidvesse1, heat-responsive means on said vessel for controlling said circuit and operative to maintain the interior of the vessel substantially at a preydetermined temperature, indicating means on said vessel operative to apprise the user of the condition of said circuit and Whether said predetermined temperature has been reached, a lid or cover removably and hingedly mounted on said vessel whereby the cover may be removed from the vessel at will, an electrical broiler unit mounted on the inner side of said cover, said broiler unit'being constructed and arranged to have a normal energy consumption approaching said permissible consumption for the entire appliance, the total energy consumption of both of the said units being greatly in excess of said permissible consumption, and electrical terminal prongs for said broiler unit on said cover, the terminal prongs on said vessel and the terminal prongs on said cover having a greater spacing than those of the usual household appliance connectors so as to be capable of receiving only and selectively an electrical connector supplied with the said appliance.

7. A combined roaster and broiler appliance for household use, comprising a cooking vessel, an electrical roaster unit disposed within the walls of said vessel, said unit being constructed and arranged to have a normal energy consumption approaching a given permissible energy consumption for the entire appliance, an electrical circuit including said unit, electrical terminal connectors for said circuit on said Vessel, heatresponsive means on said vessel for controlling said circuit and operative to maintain the interior of lche vessel substantially at a predetermined temperature, indicating means on said vessel operative to apprise the user of the condition of said circuit and whether said predetermined temperature has been reached, a lid or cover for said vessel having a heat-reflecting inner surface, an electrical broiler unit, means for mounting said broiler unit hingedly with respect to said vessel in cooperative relation with said surface, so that said surface reects the heat from said broiler unit into said vessel, said broiler unit be- -ing constructed and arranged to have a normal energy consumption approaching said permissible consumption for the entire appliance, the total energy consumption of both of the said units being greatly in excess of said permissible consumption, and electrical terminal connectors for said broiler unit, the terminal connectors for said roaster unit and the terminal connectors for said broiler unit being constructed and arranged to be incapable of receiving the usual household appliance connectors but capable of receiving selectively a single electrical connector supplied with the said appliance, whereby the said units may be energized separately and selectively only.

JOSEPH W. MYERS. 

